Machine and method for automatically fixing the hooks on the bands for zip fasteners



Nov. 22, 1932. Q l 1,888,254

MACHINE AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY FIXING THE HOOKS ON THE BANDS FOR ZIP FASTENERS Filed Dec. 16, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 as 1 M ,46 A m m 7 41 m F as m 62 3a a 30 5a Jbw 04/ G n-4L Nov. 22, 1932. o. AMIET 7 1,888,254

MACHINE AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY FIXING THE V HOOKS ON THE BANDS FOR ZIP FASTENERS Filed Dec. 16, 1930 4 sheets-sheet 2 WWW Nov. 22, 1932. o. AMIET 1,888,254

MACHINE AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY FIXING THE 1 HOOKS ON THE BANDS FOR ZIP FASTENERS Filed Dec. 16, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 ON THE BANDS FOR ZIP FASTENERS Filed Dec. 16, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Nov. 22, 1932. o. AMIET MACHINE AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY FIXING- THE HOOKS Patented Nov. 22, 1932 PATENT OFFICE OSKAR AMI'ET, OF LA-CEAUX-DE-FONDS, SWITZERLAND MACHINE AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY FIXING THE BOOKS ON THE BANDS FOR ZIP FASTENERS Application filed December 16, 1930, Serial No.

This invention relates to a machine and method for automatically fixing hooks on the bands for zip fasteners. It is possible according to the invention'to automatically clamp the hooks in the proper position at uniform distances apart on the band bymeans of an element having grooves and a corresponding guide part, in which the hooks slide. The machine is also provided with elements, which 1o automatically bring the hooks into the proper position before they are clamped on to the bands and with further elements for automatically shifting the band so that the hooks are fixed on the band at regular intervals apart.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 shows the machine in front elevation, some of the parts being in section.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows the clamping device on a larger scale in open and closed condition.

Fig. 4 shows a modified form of grooves for hooks of elongated shape.

Fig. 5 shows the guide for hooks of elongated shape, in which the hooks are brought into the proper position by means of a brush.

Fig. 6 shows on an enlarged scale and in section how the hooks are fed by means of the grogves in a cylinder and by means of a 1 e. Fig. 7 shows a hook in three different views before fixing to the band.

A cylinder 2 mounted on a frame 1 and intended for hooks, which are wider than they are long, has grooves 3 and is mounted on a shaft 5 so that it can be rotated by means of a pulley 6.

The operation in this form of construction, which is intended for wide hooks, is as follows:

The hooks are poured into a hopper 43, which is omitted for the sake of clearness from Fig. 2. A cylinder 9 driven from the shaft 5 by means of gear wheels 6, 7 and 8 ro-. tates in the direction of the arrow B in opposite direction to that of the cylinder 2 and serves for preventing the hooks 4 which descend by gravity from rotating with the 502,877, and in Switzerland December 10, 1929.

cylinder in the event of their becoming wedged. The cylinder 2 has grooves 3, which only ofier a bearing for the hooks 4 the base of which is turned towards the band 28. The hooks 4 are only in the proper position, when the nose 44 (Fig. 7 lies towards the centre of the cylinder 2 in the grooves 3. The hooks 4 slide downwards on the cylinder and are moved forward as the cylinder rotates b means of the grooves 3 and a guide 46. X cylinder, carrying a brush 11 composed for example of steel bristles, is mounted on a shaft 10, driven from the shaft 5 by means of a gear wheel 45. This brush rotates in the direction of the arrows C (Fig. 1). The 5 brush 11, which bears lightly against the cylinder 2, is intended to continually. shift the hooks so that they pass into the grooves 3 singly. For this purpose the brush has on its left end three rows of bristles, which are much closer together and distributed in a far greater number around the circumference. These three-rows ofbristles are intended to move over an inclined surface 41 the hooks which are one over the other before entering the guide 46, so that only one hook 4 after the other can enter unimpeded the closed portion of the guide 46.

Owing to the rotary effect of the cylinder 2, which rotates in the direction of the arrow so A (Fig. 1), and to the grooves 3 in this cylinder the books 4 are pushed forward in the guide 46 until they reach the band 28, on which they are clamped by means of clinching devices 15 and 16. As soon as a hook 4 has been clamped onto the band 28, the clinching devices 15 and 16 open as well as two elements 19 and 20, which serve for supporting the hooks 4 after leaving the guide grooves 3 of the cylinder 2 and the guide 46 and at the same time ensure that the hooks are always fixed on the band at regular distances apart, as the elements 19 and 20 at their ends, which come into contact with the band 28, are of the same thickness as the distance which the hooks must be spaced. The band is moved forward ,a certain distance by means of a simple device in the direction of the arrow D, immediately after the clinching devices 15 and 16 and elements 19 and 20 have opened. The distance between the hooks is maintained in that the elements 19 and 20 are pressed against the band 28 by means of springs 23 and 24, so that the hook last fastened bears on the narrow arms of the elements 19 and 20, the band, after having been moved forwards, being pulled back so that the hook last fixed bears against the arms of the elements 19 and 20, as above mentioned. The backward movement of the band 28 may be effected by a simple device, as shown for example in Fig. 1. This device consists of two uprights 36 and 37, in which two clamping devices 29 clamp the band, but, owing to the action of the springs 30, 31 allow same to move forwards, as required. The springs 32 and 33 fixed on the levers 34 and 35 ensure that the band 28 is always taut and enable the above mentioned rearward movement of the band 28.

The band 28 runs over a roller 27 between the fixed parts 25 and 26. The clinching devices 15 and 16 remain open through the pressure of the springs 17 and 18 until a hook 4 has reached the band 28, and they are actuated for clinching the hook 4 by means of levers 13 and 14, which are of proportional length the one to the other, which levers are actuated by a cam 12 mounted on the shaft 10. The clinching devices 15 and 16 are pressed together as soon as the cam 12 arrives in the position 12, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, and consequently the elements 19 and 20, which bear inclosed position against stops 21 and 22, move apart.

Fig. 6 shows how the hook 4 with its nose 44 directed towards the centre, lies partly in the groove 3 and partly in the guide 46.

Hooks 38 of elongated shape are illustrated in Fig. 5. These can be fed in a similar manner by a cylinder 2 by means of grooves, but in this instance these grooves have an initial shape corresponding to the cross section of the groove 40 and at the end to the cross section of the groove 41 (Fig. 4). The guide 39 for hooks of elongated shape is then as shown in Fig. 5, and the hooks 38 are directed with their bases forwards by a rotary element 42, which may for (Example be a cylindrical brush and which rotates in clockwise direction, so that the hooks arrive in this position into the narrower portion of the guide and are fixed on the band 28 in a similar manner to that already described.

It is necessary for hooks of elongated shape, as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, to make a transition from the groove 40 into the shape of the groove 41. The groove 48 shows this transition. 'As soon as the hooks 38 arrive in the groove 48 through the turning of the cylinder, their bases are engaged by the bristles of the brush 42 and as the noses of the hooks lie in the groove 40 the hooks are turned by the brush 42 through a quarter revoluton, around their noses serving as pivot and are pushed forward through the last groove 41 towards the band 28 with their bases directed towards the front. The grooves are illustrated in dot dash lines in Fig. 5.

It is evidently also possible to fix according to the invention hooks of other shapes on a band 28 and feed same in the proper position by means of grooves, a guide and auxiliary elements, whereby the working operation remains substantially the same.

I claim:

1. A machine for automatically fixing hooks on bands for zip fasteners, comprising in combination a rotary element having gooves, a guide cooperating with said rotary element, and auxiliary elements adapted to automatically bring the hooks supported partly in said rotary element and partly in a said guide into the proper position with their bases towards the band and to automatically fix the hooks at uniform distances apart.

2. A. method for automatically fixing hooks on hands for zip fasteners, consisting in automatically imparting a forward movement to the band, after the fixing of each hook, and in imparting a backward movement to the band subsequently to said forward movement until the last fixed hook abuts against an automatically shiftable element, determining the regular spacing for each hook.

3. A machine for fixing hooks, which are wider than they are long, to bands for zip fasteners, comprising in combination a cylinder having a roove of regular cross section, and a guide a apted in conjunction with said cylinder to feed the hooks to the bands with their bases directed towards the band and their noses towards the axis of said cylinder.

4. A machine for fixing hooks of elongated shape to bands for zip fasteners, comprising in combination a cylinder having grooves with an initial cross section enabling the hooks to assume a position in the longitudinal direction of the grooves with a final cross section enabling the hooks to be fed to the band with their bases directed towards the band and with a transition cross section between the initial and final cross section of the grooves enabling the hooks to be turned through a quarter of a revolution from the position which they occupy in the initial por tion of the groove into that which they occupy in the final portion of the groove, and a rotary element adapted to engage the bases of the hooks in the initial portion of the grooves and turn same in the transition portion of the groove into the position which they occupy in the final portion of the grooves.

5. In a machine as specified in claim 1, in combination with hook spacing elements, elements for clinching the' hooks on the band positively cooperating with said hook spacing elements.

6. In a machine as specified in claim 1, in combination with the rotary element, a cylinder rotating in the opposite direction to said .rotary element adapted to move the hooksdownwards on said rotary element.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

OSKAR AMIET. 

